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Sisko intimidates Worf

I'd attribute it to a few things.

1) Sisko punched Q. I'm sure once news of that hit the Enterprise, and the lack of any following visits from Q anytime after that incident, the Enterprise crew (not Voyager, though, since Q was nowhere near as much of a pain in the butt in that show) never, ever imagined punching Q, ever.

2) Sisko just seemed more...disciplinarian, than Picard. Rules of Engagement, The Ship, Sons of Mogh, and any incident where Sisko was unhappy with Worf (any anybody else), he was more than happy to...voice his displeasure.

3) Sisko was, as a few other people put it, more of a general compared to Picard. His plans during Apocalypse Rising, and other incidents where there was the expectation of heavy combat, Sisko was always there with his men and women. Those sorts of things garner respect, especially to Worf and his Klingon cultural heritage.
 
Sisko is more liable to go crazy at any moment, he gets his hands dirty with his crew.

Picard generally let Riker deal with the disciplinary issues, Riker his Picard's "muscle"

Sisko didn't have a real first officer like Picard had, well he had Kira but she was her own woman and worked "alongside" rather than "with" or "for" Sisko. And Jadzia wasn't the one to deal with that kind of thing.

The dynamic aboard enterprise was different, notice in First Contact Riker had to be not on the bridge when Worf kicked off because otherwise the writers would have had to have him do something.

Notice the symbolism a lot of Riker standing just behind picard, staring. Also note that while Picard is a small, older man Riker is a lot younger and a big brutish looking man.

He's his henchman

I really like this analysis! I think it becomes less true as the show goes on, but you're right, Kira does not work "for" Sisko in the same way Riker worked for Picard. Riker and Picard definitely were a "yin-and-yang" combo in a way that Sisko and Kira never were.

Of course the possibility exists that Dax, who's known for her mischievous nature, did just make that up to yank Sisko's chain.

Haha, this seems very plausible to me.

I think the whole Q thing is more a symptom than a cause. I doubt Worf heard about Sisko punching Q through the grapevine 3-and-a-half years after it happened and then, all of a sudden, said, "Hmm. Captain Sisko intimidates me." (Nor do I think the story would've spread across the fleet.)
 
Worf is intimidated by Sisko because he knows that is Sisko doesn't punch him the he'll set Kira on him instead :)
 
It probably came from when he learned Sisko punched Q. Even deep down Worf didn't have the brass to hit Q as much as he disliked him.

Even Q couldn't believe it. "You hit me! Picard never hit me!

Let's also remember Q went on state that Picard was not as easily provoked to rash action. I say that even though I greatly liked the Sisko character far more than Picard.

Let's also not forget another person that intimidated Q-Janeway. Janeway wouldn't stand for any shit from Q or his wife, and also was able to make his son come to heel when she had to 'tutor' him because his father couldn't.

1) Sisko punched Q. I'm sure once news of that hit the Enterprise, and the lack of any following visits from Q anytime after that incident, the Enterprise crew (not Voyager, though, since Q was nowhere near as much of a pain in the butt in that show) never, ever imagined punching Q, ever.

As I implied previously when mentioning Janeway, the knowledge of Q passed to all Starfleet commanders meant that he could be dealt with by future ones like Sisko & Janeway.
 
At least in part it has to do with Sisko not giving a damn that Worf is this big, mean Klingon. I'd bet almost all of Worf's acquaintances were at least a little intimidated by him, including his commanders, but Sisko treats him exactly the same as everyone else - including dressing him down just as hard as anyone when he screws up.

Of course, there's also the fact that Sisko just isn't at all scared of Klingons in general. Probably not very many humans that can say that.
 
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